Social Class, Education, and Motherhood in a Globalized Context: Identity Construction for Student Transnational Mothers

Abstract

The research question guiding this project is: What are the differences and similarities between the motherhood identities of student transnational mothers and domestic worker transnational mothers? While previous literature has focused on domestic worker transnational mothers' experiences, I investigated how motherhood identities vary according to class and educational background. I conducted ten semi-structured interviews with student transnational mothers and compared their discourses to those of domestic worker transnational mothers explored in previous literature. I found that while transnational mothers employed as domestic workers center their motherhood identities on economic and emotional family necessities, student transnational mothers focus theirs on self-development, professional growth, and being good role models. These findings suggest that transnational mothers shape their identities according to the available resources. I conclude that although transnational mothers seem to have a common set of experiences and motherhood identities, these differ according to their social characteristics such as socioeconomic status and education.